With a development plan in place that aims for Bradford City to reach the play-off's this season, there is a lot of pressure on manager Phil Parkinson this summer to do the necessary transfer business to aid this push.

Parkinson is held as highly by those at Valley Parade as José Mourinho is held by fans at Stamford Bridge, so I cannot imagine the club having a sacking on their hands if the target was not met, but I don't think that failure will be taken lightly.

This year is City's third back in League One following promotion from League Two in the 2012-13 season. They finished 11th on their return in 2013-14 and seventh this year, albeit they did not put together a great enough play-off push despite finishing just one place outside the top six, out of the race with plenty of games to spare.

The middle of the season was where they produced the form necessary to earn an opportunity to be promoted to the second tier, but consistency disappeared in the final, most crucial weeks, perhaps due to tiredness with the mass amount of games the players had played thanks to more success in the cups.

This makes this summer even more important, with some depth in the squad needed to prevent this. City may not have the biggest budget about, but with some players already gone and some promising youngsters signing on at the end of the season, they should be able to construct a quality squad for the upcoming campaign.

With the transfer window officially opening on Wednesday, I've picked out five key positions that need strengthening this summer by City if they are to crack the top six.

Goalkeeper

Obviously, with just one on their books, City need to pick up a 'keeper this summer.

Jordan Pickford impressed on loan from Sunderland, but he returned to his parent club in March, meaning cup choice Ben Williams had to step in for the final two months of the season. Williams is a decent 'keeper, but Pickford was a tough act to follow, a man who will be targeting involvement with the first team at the Stadium of Light this year.

City need a more athletic number one, in my opinion, than the somewhat static Williams. His height makes him great at collecting the ball in the air and difficult to beat from distance, but one-on-one he's not the best and lacks pace coming off his line. Yet, with third choice stopper Matt Urwin having left the club, he is the one remaining option in between the sticks.

Wes Foderingham would be a dream signing for City, but with him having left Swindon Town following their play-off final defeat, it is clear that he will not settle for anywhere lower than the Championship now. Parkinson should certainly enquire about the availability of Pickford, with the player likely to have held talks about his future involvement following a successful loan spell, but if he is part of Sunderland's plans, then there are sure to be plenty of options elsewhere that he has an eye on.

Athleticism and energy will be key in the new arrival though, as well as composure and the ability to play with his feet, given some of the error-prone stoppers Valley Parade has seen over the years. To achieve this, Football League experience would be important too.

Another trait that should be looked for is a will to commit long-term. There has been too much chopping and changing in goal lately and this has not helped chemistry in defence, so it would help the team if they signed a 'keeper to be the number one for the foreseeable future.

Centre-Back

One position that seemed like it was going to be strong going into the 2015-16 campaign was centre-back. The evergreen Andrew Davies and Player of the Year Rory McArdle have been Parkinson's first choice duo, when the former is fit, whilst Gary MacKenzie provided impressive cover on loan from Blackpool this season too.

Alan Sheehan, though naturally a left-back, Gary Liddle, a midfielder, and the wonderfully versatile Christopher Routis can also operate here, but when the latter was deployed as a centre-back against Preston North End towards the end of the season, he more or less got his name crossed off the list of players who can play here, being dismissed after just 13 minutes due to a lack of composure and general sense.

MacKenzie, on the other hand, did not see his loan become permanent, somewhat surprisingly, and is now a free agent.

Another man who joined on loan from Blackpool was Tony McMahon, and City are in talks with him about a permanent deal at the moment. McMahon is another incredibly versatile player, and he can play in central defence, though is another whose natural position is elsewhere on the pitch.

The situation at the moment, to sum up, sees City with one solid centre-back in McArdle; another of the same but one who is frequently injured in Davies, and then perhaps three players who can provide effective cover, albeit not permanently. In other words, Parkinson needs to recruit another central defender. Two would be perfect, but, again, the budget has to be kept in mind, plus if two of his three are unable to play, he does have cover.

MacKenzie would be an ideal signing, but it does not appear that Parkinson is interested in the player, for whatever reason. Again, experience is key, as well as good ability on the ball, with City keen on knocking it about in defence. There haven't been many names thrown about in regards to this position, but when the rumour mill really gets going in the next two months, that is sure to change.

Central Midfield

This is another position that has weakened since the end of the season, with Andy Halliday and Matty Dolan being released. The former was a huge surprise. Scorer of City's third goal against Chelsea and a consistently solid performer all season, which earned him a six-month permanent contract in January following a successful loan from Middlesbrough, Halliday will be sadly missed by the team and fans alike because of the quality and high work ethic he brought to games.

Dolan was far from a shock, however. Personally, I thought he was a great player, albeit one given few chances. Loan spells away from Valley Parade failed to persuade Parkinson to increase the amount of opportunities he saw, and it was only a matter of time before the player left, joining Yeovil Town on a free transfer earlier this month. The same can be said for Jason Kennedy, who was also released this summer and joined Carlisle United.

The remaining midfielders are now Billy Knott and Liddle. Knott is strange player who either has a blinder or a nightmare, lacking consistency in his displays. He's still young, and he shows plenty of potential, but often makes those mistakes in midfield you expect from an inexperienced player. His Chelsea roots show too, with him trying to overcomplicate things at times, but also possessing the ability to change the game.

Liddle is the complete opposite. He is a model of consistency, an incredible tackler and a man who dictates play in the middle of the park. So comfortable in possession and brilliant at sitting as Knott bombs forward, he ensures the team has balance and stability.

However, when Liddle was missing through suspension this season, and when he had to drop into central defence at times, there was no replacement. Parkinson needs to recruit a similar player for the upcoming season to ensure his presence is not missed like this again, as he is so key for the team.

If not, then a box-to-box midfielder should be on his list instead, like Knott but one with more experience, again. If City are to crack the top six, they need players they can rely on to perform, and thus they must have experience doing so at this level. If the midfielder can score goals as well, then it could help take pressure off of the forwards, as well as adding more firepower to the team.

Wingers

City's approach to games focuses heavily on wide play, with Filipe Morais a key player down the right with his sublime skill and ability to beat a man. However, the same was missing on the left this season.

Mark Yeates began the campaign in great form, but an injury just before Christmas ruined this, with him failing to return boasting the same high levels of performance. Halliday's position became more central than wide throughout the year, despite him arriving as a left-winger, whilst the decision to deploy James Hanson, the team's towering centre-forward, on the left, never really worked.

Francois Zoko, a striker or wide player, joined on loan from Blackpool, but failed to impress. Billy Clarke did well out here, but he again operates more effectively in a central role, whilst Routis works hard when deployed out wide, but lacks the positional awareness in an unnatural role for him.

With Yeates, Halliday and Zoko all failing to earn new deals at the club this summer, Parkinson is on the look out for a new left-winger, with Joel Grant in his sights. The player would arrive on a free transfer following his release from relegated Yeovil, and he would bring pace and experience in abundance to the team - everything they need.

Only one winger really needs to be recruited, with Clarke, as aforementioned, good out wide if needed, whilst City boast some fantastic young players, such as Dylan Mottley-Henry, who have made their name in the youth teams on the flanks and have spent time with the first team recently. Hopefully, players like him can see more game time this year, with a number of academy products signing professional deals this summer.

Striker

The fifth and final area in need of more depth is up front. Since the departure of Nahki Wells in January 2014, City have failed to find themselves another speedy goal-grabber with the ability to cause problems for defenders with high-pressing and quick movement. Clarke has the potential to replace Wells, but his actual replacement, Aaron McLean, underwhelmed incredibly, to say the least, and has been released this summer.

City are now in the market for a 20-goal striker. They missed out on Andy Williams, who joined local rivals Doncaster Rovers, and need to act fast now in the window before they get left with inadequate options.

They cannot do what they did with McLean and buy a top flight flop. City must look for a striker who is in form, not one who comes from a bigger club but cannot make the cut. There is no guarantee that they will find it easier in League One, as seen with McLean, and gambling on a non-league or League Two star would be safer in truth.

With Hanson netting double figures consistently, Clarke having had a great season and Jon Stead, believed to be signing a permanent contract with City this summer, adding more than a handful, the player would not experience a lot of pressure as the goal-scoring burden is widely spread out.

However, City did not have that player turning up in the right place at the right time this season, and it prevented them from making the play-offs in the grand scheme of things. Without enough goals in the side, conceding was difficult to recover from and games were rarely won from losing positions. This must change if they want to be promoted.

The addition of players in this position, and out wide, will allow City to turn to the bench to see impact substitutes sitting there this season too. Parkinson lacked players who could make a difference off the bench this year - another reason why they rarely won after falling behind - but the addition of more attacking players will allow for rotation, depth and game changing substitutes.

City's core is good. They have a good group of players who have been together for many years and been through wonderful highs and horrid lows. They have a remarkable set of fans, with season ticket sales hitting five figure totals already this summer, with plenty still to come.

If the media department can continue to construct great schemes for support, and the fans get behind the players brilliantly again, then all Parkinson has to do is recruit the missing pieces of the puzzle to ensure a shot at promotion.

He has told the Telegraph and Argus, a local paper, that the club are talking to players, and expects some new faces at pre-season this week. If his words are anything to go by, one eye must be kept on City in the next few days as they look to bolster the squad for a promising 2015-16 campaign.